I attended the launch of the new system in New York. What sets the Wii U apart from the XBox and Playstation is a new & innovative controller. The handheld device incorporates joysticks, a microphone, speakers, a camera and even a touchscreen of its own. That ‘second screen’ allows aspects of some games to pop off your TV and into your hands. The gamepad can also be set up as a universal remote, to control your TV and even your cable box, which I’ve tested at home, and works great!